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Barcelona Catalunya
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Lewis Hamilton said he begged Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur for âcertain changesâ over the off-season and believes he is now seeing the benefits, after finishing second in last weekâs Monaco Grand Prix. Hamilton said: "Fred has been awesome in supporting me. Last year was really tough for both of us, and [I have been] begging him for certain changes, and he pulled through. He did those and now I'm seeing the fruits of that and I'm able to finally deliver for them."
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says the team understood Isack Hadjarâs angry radio messages during the Monaco Grand Prix because the driver was dealing with a significant loss of power and related knock-on effects as he finished third. Mekies said: "It's always very difficult for the driver in the car to understand what's going on. In that case he could not know exactly how much engine power he was losing. The implication of that loss of ICE power on the rest of the management is massive for the way these power units are working. We understand the emotions."
Mercedes has confirmed Kimi Antonelli will sit out first practice for this weekendâs Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, with reserve driver Frederik Vesti taking his seat. The change forms part of F1âs 2026 requirement for teams to run a rookie in four FP1 sessions across the season, with Williams and Cadillac also announcing FP1 driver swaps for Barcelona.
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedesâ performance is ânext levelâ and Ferrari need to add downforce after finishing second to Kimi Antonelli in Monaco. Hamilton said: "The performance they have is next level. It was a good experience because it gives me a much better idea of where I need to have the team lean and improve. Downforce-wise, clearly they're above us. You could see just on traction those guys were night and day different to us."
Isack Hadjar said he thought he was heading for a âweekend outside of the pointsâ at the Monaco Grand Prix after early driveability problems, before finishing third for Red Bull. Hadjar said: "For many reasons, it's a satisfying result because obviously I started the weekend in the worst way possible. I wish it were going to be an easier race, but I faced so many issues in the car that I really thought it was going to be a weekend outside the points at some point. Very early, from I would say lap 12, I started having driveability issues, and it was just undriveable."
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies says the team has identified the engine problem that caused Max Verstappenâs retirement from the Monaco Grand Prix, with the issue developing on the formation lap. Mekies said: "It is an engine [problem]. We have identified what the issue is. It developed on the formation lap, and it gave him or us no chance. As you may be aware, it was also the very first PU of Max this season, which was planned to be changed after Monaco."
Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad said Racing Bulls pulled off âa big turnaroundâ at the Monaco Grand Prix as they finished fifth and sixth for the teamâs first double points score of the season. Both drivers were helped by a late red flag for a track inspection and penalties for cars ahead, but Lawson said: âWe struggled at the start of the weekend and weâve now got a really quite competitive car at the end of the weekend.â The result keeps Racing Bulls sixth in the teamsâ standings, two points behind Alpine.
Alpine executive adviser Flavio Briatore said the team âstrongly disagreeâ with the FIAâs pit lane speeding penalties that dropped Pierre Gasly from third on the road to seventh at the Monaco Grand Prix, with Alpine requesting a Right of Review. Briatore said: "In spite of the great restart after the red flag and Pierre finishing third on the road, we saw the result being taken away by two penalties, which we strongly disagree with. These penalties were inflicted to at least four teams on the grid, which makes it a strong case for review."
Williams will return its race-winning 2003 FW25 to competitive action after an âextensive restorationâ by its Heritage division, with the V10 BMW-powered car set to contest four rounds of the 2026 BOSS GP historic F1 series starting this weekend at the NĂźrburgring, PlanetF1.com reports. The carâs owner, Phil Stratford, will drive the FW25 at the NĂźrburgring, Magny-Cours, the Red Bull Ring and Mugello, saying: âI cannot wait to get to the NĂźrburgring.â
Lewis Hamilton says his maiden victory for Ferrari âcouldnât be closerâ after the Monaco Grand Prix, with the seven-time world champion sitting second in the championship after six rounds. Hamilton said: "It couldn't be closer. I can't believe that I'm second in the championship and I'm really happy and thankful for that. It's still very early days in the season, so we just have to keep chasing... we're going to keep pushing, keep chasing, and I have no doubt at some stage we're going to get there."
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says Lewis Hamiltonâs growing confidence in the car reflects the progress the team is making, after Hamilton finished second at the Monaco Grand Prix. Vasseur said: "Over the last few races we have seen him growing in confidence and feeling more comfortable in the car, which is encouraging and reflects the progress we are making as a team."
Sky F1 lead commentator David Croft is set to miss this weekendâs Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, PlanetF1.com reports, with BBC Radio 5 Liveâs Harry Benjamin expected to step in. The report says Croftâs planned weekend off has shifted because Imola is no longer on the 2026 schedule.
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